Margaret Kallsen
4/23/2019 2:01 PM
Less dependence on oil, cheaper fuel costs to owner, able to store electric power for the grid when EV not in use (see NYT article "The Wheels on These Buses...")
Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston Feed
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Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
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Mary Schultz 4/29/2019 2:40 PMThere are many things I am doing or things available to me for "drawdown" that are not included in this eco-challenge program. So, I would like to see options where participants write in their own challenges and points, so that more things would count toward this project. I did learn that I should push myself to higher levels of "drawdown" than I'm presently doing. -
Nan Hildreth 4/27/2019 5:50 AMPlease call your members of Congress in support of HR 9, Climate Action Now. It should pass the House next week as it has 224 co-sponsors, enough to win. Curiously, my Rep, Sheila Jackson Lee is not a co-sponsor. To look up your member of Congress https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home
The fun will be in the Senate. Republicans have talked a bit about what climate action they WOULD support since they detest Green New Deal. This will put them on the spot. Our senator John Cornyn has already made a modest public statement for our climate, so he may swing our way. Please call Cornyn 202-224-2934 or 713-572-3337. If you want to call Senator Cruz also, (713) 718-3057
Then the fun will be whether President Trump will veto the bill.
Representative Lizzie Fletcher has an excellent op-ed in Today's Chronicle about Climate Action Now. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/To-fix-global-warming-the-world-needs-Houston-13798340.php
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Lisa Brenskelle 4/24/2019 4:33 PMCompleted my challenge today to reduce junk mail. To reduce junk mail (and conserve the resources used to produce & distribute it), opt out of unsolicited postal mail for ten years at https://www.dmachoice.org/. Costs $2 (almost nothing).
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Margaret Kallsen 4/23/2019 2:06 PM!!! This is so cool about electric school buses (see NYT article under resources for Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle #26 Electric Vehicles):"... Consolidated Edison, the local electric utility, which agreed to chip in another $100,000 per bus.In return, Con Ed gets the right to use the buses to help power the grid in the summer, when school is out and the vehicles sit idle. Their batteries would store electricity when demand is low and discharge it during peak hours."-
Lisa Brenskelle 4/24/2019 4:36 PMI've also been reading about the benefits of electric buses. Definitely a plus over time, even if the up-front cost is higher. Hopefully more school districts (and municipal transit systems) will consider them.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONTransport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric VehicleReducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?
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Margaret Kallsen 4/23/2019 9:04 AMMy husband was in an accident last week that totaled our vehicle (only injury was a seat belt abrasion and subsequent bruise) so I added researching electric vehicles to my challenge today - but only 60 minutes so I know I can complete it today (also got to finish reading The Overstory and return it to library today - wonderful writing about plants and planet).-
Lisa Brenskelle 4/24/2019 4:38 PM
Having your car totaled is not a fun motivation for an EcoChallenge, but kudos to you for turning a negative into a positive.
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Margaret Kallsen 4/23/2019 8:37 AMDidn't throw out some lemons with brown spots - sliced them up, let them "cook" in hot tea water, drank the tea and ate the lemons up peel and all. (Too bad my husband will have to compost a cantaloupe tomorrow - wish he'd learn how to tell if it's ripe before he cuts it open - I'll have to remind him that I can judge ripeness - that cantaloupe will be the ONLY food waste for this entire challenge!)-
Margaret Kallsen 4/23/2019 8:42 AMOops - forgot about the squash peelings.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONMaterials Install a Low-Flow ShowerheadWhat would a sustainable water future in your region look like? What needs to change?
Nancy Edwards 4/22/2019 11:04 AMWe need to stop urban sprawl so that they don't continue to hook up more houses further from the water source we all share. The need to fix the water main leaks with very strong pipes that can withstand the increasingly severe droughts.-
Lisa Brenskelle 4/24/2019 4:40 PMI always call 311 whenever I see a water leak in Houston, so that it gets prompt attention. However, sometimes is it due to an irrigation system, which is the responsibility of the property owner.
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Lisa Brenskelle 4/16/2019 4:51 PMMy husband and I have checked the few processed food items that we consume, and none contain palm oil. I also learned that girl scout cookies now contain certified sustainably sourced palm oil. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONTransport Research and Consider Switching to a Hybrid or Electric VehicleReducing (or eliminating) exhaust emissions and improving public health are two benefits of green vehicles. What other motivators inspire you to consider switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle?